Anthony Stolarz enters goalie trade talks ahead of the deadline
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NHL insider Kevin Weekes added some heavy fuel to trade speculation as he included Anthony Stolarz as a player in active trade discussions ahead of the deadline as the Toronto Maple Leafs look to make some serious changes to the roster.
Weekes revealed on Friday that Stolarz was among a list of players actively being discussed which also includes Jesper Wallstadt, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Jordan Binnington as the goalie market at the deadline shifts significantly.
Why Anthony Stolarz makes sense as a trade target
Signed for a fairly reasonable deal at $3.75-million for the next four years, Stolarz would provide a team a consistent and reliable goaltender when healthy, and for a team looking to add a stable veteran presence or potentially a bit of a mentor role he would be perfect.
Adding his name into the mix is a bit of a surprise given how many eggs the Maple Leafs put in the Stolarz basket, but with a very cost-effective deal and Toronto losing their sixth in a row to the lowly Rangers — it’s time to sell on whatever will get them the best assets.
Stolarz came in last season in free agency and was unbelievable for the Maple Leafs along with Joseph Woll before a Sam Bennett elbow took him out of the playoffs. Then this season he started off cold, got hurt, and while he’s been decent since returning there’s no guarantee he can stay healthy for the next four years.
Pursuing teams who need stable goaltending like Philadelphia could be interested, as a cheap reliable and familiar netminder would at least give them some help in one area to focus on others.
There’s no concrete evidence that shows Stolarz will be traded however with Toronto already dealing off Nic Roy, it feels like anyone except the superstars are in play.
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Anthony Stolarz enters goalie trade talks ahead of the deadline
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